I hate to add a "me too" but this touched a nerve with me. Here's a
slightly different point of view. What about us poor folks who
have to use their MG's as daily drivers? To get myself through my
last year of college, I had to sell my daily driver and make 100%
sure Little Miss was ready to go. Do I regret it? Not one bit, it
was the best choice I could have made. Do I disrespect my car by
driving the snot out of it and four-wheel-drifting around traffic
circles? Hell no. I think I'd be doing more disrespect to this
grand automobile by saying, "Gee, I like you so much, I'm not going
to drive you at all. As a matter of fact, I'm going to buy another
car, even though you're in perfectly good condition, and drive it
while you sit." That's like being the coach of a football team and
benching your best players for the most important game because you
don't want them injured if you get into the playoffs.
I might not speak for all of you, but I know the majority backs me
when I say that Little Miss is a HUGE source of personal pride in my
life. Most of my family had bad ideas about LBC's, and was always
of the mindset that newer is better. Every day that goes by, I am
erasing those stereotypes and proving them wrong, simply by driving
my MGB like it's any other car. So, if I had no respect for my MGB,
it would sit in the garage gathering dust instead of compliments.
The other day, a friend asked me if I was going to follow the trend
of buying a new car when I graduate, like so many others. "Hell
no," I replied, "I've got one sitting right there."
Don't forget, I wiped out one MGB when I hit ice two years ago. I'd
much rather have my MGB go out doing what it loves than sitting and
slipping away into oblivion. I hold the firm belief that most of
those for sale ads you see that say stuff like "5000 miles since
ground-up restoration" come for the sole reason that the owners
didn't drive the car and forgot how much fun it was. You can never
forget what an MG was made for, and that's enjoyable motoring. As
soon as it becomes an artifact or too nice to drive, you lose the
soul of the car. I love my car, but I'll be damned if I'm ever
afraid to drive it under most circumstances (that includes snow and
rain).
In closing, when I go home to PA for Christmas break, I will be
driving my MGB. When I go to Christmas parties and drink egg nog, I
will be driving Little Miss Magic. When I dress up as Santa Claus
and drive through town on Christmas Day yelling "Ho Ho Ho", I will
be driving my MGB, top down. And if it's snowing at any time during
this Christmas break and I need to go to Wal-mart to get a Jimmy
Buffett CD, by the grace of God, I will be driving my MGB.
<Rant Mode off>
Michael S. Lishego
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Speedway/3706/
>BRAVO Keith!
>
>I've always had this weird idea that cars, especially sports car,
and
>especially such superb sports cars as MGs were to DRIVE!!
>
>Peter
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